Chapter 488 Consort Lan Wants to Seduce a Wild Man
Meanwhile, Consort Lan's kite "cleverly" flew out of the inner palace and landed in the West Palace camp, where it was picked up by the soldiers.
Shang Hong was training his soldiers, determined to build the imperial city into an impregnable fortress, when he saw a soldier holding a paper kite, looking quite excited.
Shang Hong said coldly, "What are you holding in your hand?"
The soldier quickly presented the kite, saying, "I don't know where it flew from, but there's a line of poetry on it."
Shang Hong held the poem in her hand and silently recited the lines: "Deep within the palace walls, my feelings are hard to express; I wish you would always be by my side." Yet another woman who could not bear the loneliness of the deep palace.
The soldier said, "What an exquisite and beautiful kite! The person who flew it must be a young lady. Commander, what kind of young lady do you think would fly a kite in the vibrant spring?"
Shang Hong paused, then said in a deep voice, "How would I know? This is a military camp, a place of great importance. Who gave you permission to pick up these women's things? Take them and burn them."
"No!" the soldier said. "Commander, maybe it's a kite dropped by a palace maid. We rough men haven't even gotten married yet. What kind of girl wants to confide in you? Give the kite to me, and I'll go and comfort her."
"Are you out of your mind?" Shang Hong glared at the soldier and said in a deep voice, "This is the palace. Anyone who dares to harbor any evil intentions and cause trouble in the palace will be severely punished by this commander. Get to training now."
After saying that, he took the kite and left. Halfway there, he examined the poem on it again and wondered who its owner might be. The fact that someone wrote such a poem meant that someone else was just as lonely as he was. Zhu Yiyi's situation made him apprehensive, and he no longer wanted to take a second wife.
On the other side, Helan Yanran, accompanied by her maid, chased after the direction in which the kite had fallen. The maid said, "I clearly saw it land here, but it disappeared when I came to chase it."
Helan Yanran also found it strange; she watched it fall! Could it have landed in the outer palace?
As a woman in the imperial harem, she certainly couldn't leave the palace grounds.
Just then, she saw Shang Hong walking down the long corridor in the distance, holding her pink kite in his hand. She wanted to call out but didn't dare. As Shang Hong walked further and further away, she became more and more anxious. How did the kite end up in Commander Shang's hands? What should she do?
Little Bean, hiding in the shadows, happened to see this: how did the kite end up in Commander Shang's hands?
Helan Yanran said to the palace maid, "Hong'er, go and bring back my kite."
Hong'er was about to run out of Chengqian Gate when she was bumped into by Xiaodouzi, who suddenly ran out. Xiaodouzi cried out, "Ouch, that hurts!"
Hong'er was also in so much pain from his forceful collision that she felt dizzy and couldn't even stand up.
Helan Yanran stepped forward, "Hong'er, how are you? Go after them quickly!"
"Your Majesty, my leg is about to break! It hurts so much!"
Little Bean also clutched his leg and cried out in pain, "My leg hurts so much! Please, Your Majesty, send someone to the Imperial Hospital. Is my leg broken? Waaah!"
Helan Yanran had no choice. She had no time to care about the two people on the ground, so she had to chase after them herself to retrieve the kite. If the belongings of the concubines in the harem fell into the hands of other men, she couldn't explain herself no matter how hard she tried.
Just then, Xie Shang appeared. From afar, he saw a woman in a purple dress hurrying toward Chengqian Gate.
The Chengqian Gate is the passageway connecting the inner palace and the outer palace.
Xie Shang asked, "Who is that person?" He was dressed so lavishly.
"It seems to be Consort Lan flying kites in the Imperial Garden." Wuxin said, "Consort Lan seems to like flying kites in the Imperial Garden. I heard from the palace maids and eunuchs that Consort Lan is quite good at flying kites."
Originally, Consort Lan wanted to run into the Emperor by chance, but now she ran into a guard. Who picked up Consort Lan's kite?
Xie Shang frowned. "What was she doing flying a kite in the Imperial Garden and running out of Chengqian Gate?"
Wu Xin deliberately said, "This servant will go and call the Imperial Concubine back immediately."
Xie Shang waved his hand and walked to the shaded side to watch He Lan Yanran's actions. When he saw Shang Hong, a vague look flashed in his eyes.
On the other side, Helan Yanran finally caught up with Shang Hong, panting heavily. "Commander Shang, please wait."
Upon seeing the panting woman before him, Shang Hong felt he had no face blindness and couldn't recognize her at all. She was dressed in luxurious clothes, her pretty face flushed. "This humble official greets you..."
In fact, the concubines might know the names of the guards, especially guards of Shang Hong's rank. It was common for soldiers not to recognize all the concubines in the harem, just as it was impossible for the emperor to remember everyone.
"I am Consort Lan of Chaoyang Palace," Helan Yanran said.
"This humble official greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort." Shang Hong became even more respectful.
Helan Yanran stared at the pink kite in his hand and said softly, "Commander Shang picked up my kite, could you please return it to me?"
Shang Hong was stunned. This kite belonged to Consort Lan, and the poem on it was also written by her? The concubines in the palace were often lonely. The emperor belonged to all the concubines, so it was impossible for him to spend time with only one of them. No wonder she was lovesick.
Seeing him in a daze, Helan Yanran called out again, "Commander Shang, what about my kite?"
Shang Hong quickly handed over the kite, saying, "Return it to Your Highness. Your Highness must be careful when flying kites in the future. I found it today; it wouldn't be good if someone else had."
"Thank you, Commander Shang." Helan Yanran accepted the kite, her face growing even more shy. Without even glancing at the kite in her hand, she grabbed it and ran back.
Seeing the beautiful woman's shy and frightened appearance, Shang Hong was momentarily stunned. By the time he came to his senses, Consort Lan had already run away. Her slender waist and beautiful face made him fantasize again.
Suddenly, he slapped himself: "Shang Hong, what are you thinking? Are you out of your mind? Anyone who dares to covet the Emperor's woman is simply courting death!"
Xie Shang watched He Lan Yanran's every move. The role of the concubines in the palace was to raise the imperial heirs and keep the court in check. If they were fed and clothed, they would not have a sense of contractual obligation, so he would not be lenient with them.
Unintentionally, she thought to herself: If the Emperor were to see Consort Lan exchanging glances with another man, he probably wouldn't give her a second glance anymore! If that were to happen, just like the two lines of poetry on the kite, she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation, and then there would be a good show to watch.
Even if Consort Lan really thought that way, she wouldn't be foolish enough to write such a melancholy poem on the kite. This kite was just similar to hers. It was just to let the Emperor see that Consort Lan could not only meet the Emperor, but also any other man. Wasn't she trying to seduce men by flying kites every day?
Xie Shang suddenly asked, "Are kites being flown in the Empress's palace too?"
Wu Xin was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
So Xie Shang went to Chenxi Palace in person. In the huge Chenxi Palace, the servants were flying kites with Xie Ziyan and Xie Hongyou, but Jiang Fenghua was nowhere to be seen.
He suddenly took a half step back.
Wu Xin quickly asked, "Isn't Your Majesty going in?"
"Father!" Xie Ziyan spotted her father running towards her from afar.
Xie Ziyan was covered in sweat from playing, her little face flushed. Xie Shang held her in his arms and said, "Yan'er, why are you so hot?"
He then asked quietly, "Where is your mother?"
"Mother!" Xie Ziyan shouted, completely uncooperative.
Xie Shang quickly covered her mouth, "Father is asking you, not your mother."
Xie Ziyan blinked her big eyes, seemingly not understanding, and called out again, "Mother."
Xie Hongyou also ran up to him, pulling on his dragon robe and leading him forward, "Father, please come in quickly, Mother has been waiting for you." He seemed to have received guidance from a master.
Hearing the noise, Jiang Fenghua finally put down her pen and came out. From a distance, she saw Xie Shang being pestered by two children.
Xie Shang also saw the dignified and well-mannered Jiang Fenghua, and for some reason, he felt a little secretly pleased.
However, his face remained cold and indifferent, devoid of much emotion, befitting a noble emperor.
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